• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, February 12, 2013

John Collins, who helped Canoe Ventures get off the ground, has joined Media Storm in a role that includes working with clients on interactive television initiatives. Collins will develop “exclusive” opportunities for iTV advertising with cable, satellite and telco TV operators, the agency said.

Collins, a managing director for broadcast and iTV, will also lead all local broadcast buying. Collins spent many years at Time Warner Cable on the advertising side and segued to Canoe as a senior vice president when it launched in 2008; the cable operator was one of its six owners.

One of Canoe’s initiatives was to develop an iTV platform that allowed a viewer to request further information about an advertised product and receive it in the mail. The same opportunity was available for a sample product.

Media Storm has been working for networks such as FX, CMT and HGTV. Opportunities for iTV advertising could include the chance to switch from a promo to a dedicated video-on-demand channel with more content.

Media Storm has moved aggressively in the iTV space, launching the unit Bolt in 2009. At the time, Media Storm said it had run more than 350 iTV campaigns.

Collins left Canoe in 2009. The company trimmed operations significantly last year.